Hazardous Hope, Kind Moon
by IronChainDragon
Summary: New world? Check. New partners? Check, and the old ones aren't leaving, either. Evil Digimon trying to destroy everything? Why, at this point it's just par for the course.
1. New World, New Lives

Dai: Doing one where a Tamers character or two is in Adventure after the series, should also do one with an Adventure character or two in Tamers after the series. The fact that Takato and T.K. look similar, and one version has the Tamers as fourteen, just made it easier.

Vee-Vee: Nothing owned here.

21211212

Two weeks after the defeat of MaloMyotismon, Takeru 'T.K.' Takaishi and his Digimon, Patamon, were watching television. Really, there was nothing better to do. Cody had kendo practice, Matt was rehearsing, Sora was shopping for tennis balls... everyone had something to do except for him. Well, there was one other...

"T.K., your friend Ken's here with Wormmon!"

"Hey, Ken. How's it going?"

"Pretty good."

They were interrupted by a light from the television.

"Um... is it supposed to act like this?"

"I don't think so."

Five seconds later, the room was empty, devoid of any living being, human or digital.

21211212

T.K. and Ken found themselves in a park with their Digimon.

"Well, it looks like we're in another world."

"What told you that? The fact that we're on a movie poster for a show called Digimon Adventure?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So, what do we do?"

"My recommendation is that we find someone to take us in. There has to be at least one adult who either hasn't heard of this show, or doesn't pay much attention. If we can keep Patamon and Wormmon hidden, it might be easier."

The group set off in an attempt to find someone, anyone, who could give them a place to live.

12121221

Two years later, T.K. and Ken were living in Shinjuku under the names of Takato and Shinji Matsuki. They had found the bakery owners, who weren't the most up to date with what kids were watching, and told them that Patamon and Wormmon were toys, and the only things from their pasts. Surprisingly, they bought into it rather easily. They still went by their old names in private, or with their partners, but mostly bought into it so life would be easier.

"Takato! Shinji! Breakfast!"

"Coming!"

Upon arriving downstairs, they had to answer questions about their plans for the morning.

"Well, I'm going to meet Kenta and Kazu at the park before school, and get tips on the game. What are you going to do, Shinji?"

"I'm going to head around town. See if I can actually track down Rika for once." Rika Nonaka was known as the Digimon Queen because she was the best at the card game, and understood the way this world's DigiWorld worked.

At least, Shinji assumed it, as there was definitely a reason those Digital Fields faded away before he and Wormmon got there, and she was always there. He knew he wasn't necessarily responsible for the way this dimension turned out, but he was more or less stuck living there until further notice, so he might as well have a place to live.

1112121212

While looking for Rika, Shinji and Wormmon saw a Digital Field. Shinji pulled out the sunglasses he had just for such an occasion.

"You ready, Wormmon?"

"Got it, Ken."

"With the size of this Field, it can't be higher than Rookie Level. Becoming Stingmon or Bucchiemon would be unnecessary."

"Of course, that's assuming it's hostile."

"There is that." Takato hadn't been told of the large numbers of Bio-Emergences, only coming along when one was spotted while they were out together. Shinji thought that with all he and Patamon had done for their own Digital World, they could use the rest.

Besides, Patamon's Digivolutions were, quite frankly, overpowered. If he was necessary for them to defeat something, than they were way out of their league.

The two of them walked into the Field to see that Rika was already there, urging a fox Digimon to kill a rabbit Digimon.

"Wormmon, what are those Digimon?"

"Rika's partner is a Renamon, and the one they're fighting is a Lunamon. Renamon live for battle, and Lunamon are normally withdrawn Digimon."

"So, either way, not a fair fight."

"Definitely not. Should we step in?"

"Good idea. It's probably best if we put up a front that's both powerful, and doesn't look threatening. In other words... Digi-Armor Energize!"

"Wormmon Armor Digivolve to Bucchiemon!"

Rika turned around. "This is mine. I was here first."

"Rika, this isn't a fair fight. Lunamon aren't combatant Digimon."

"What do you mean? Digimon exist to fight."

Shinji was beginning to get flashbacks to his time as the Digimon Emperor.

"I once thought something similar to that. It backfired, in the end. It will for you, two, if you aren't careful." Moving slowly, he picked up the Lunamon. "Now, I'll be taking this Digimon and leaving, unless you want to take it up with Bucchiemon."

Renamon eyed the Armor Digimon warily, but made no move. Bucchiemon had two lifetimes of experience as a Digimon Partner, and two years experience with his own Armor form. Compared to him, Rika and Renamon stood no chance of winning. And they both knew it.

"Renamon, fall back. But don't think you win this, Shinji. Next time, we'll be strong enough to defeat you, just you watch."

When the two left, the fog barrier faded, leaving just Shinji, Wormmon, and Lunamon.

"Th-th-thank you. I-I'm L-l-l-lunamon."

"Hello, Lunamon. I'm Wormmon, and this is my partner, Shinji."

"So, he's your... Tamer?"

"You could call it that."

"I wish... I had a Tamer to stand by me. If I weren't so weak. Than no one would t-t-try to k-k-kill me as often."

Shinji ruffled the Digimon's ears. "Don't worry. You've got us now, and Takato and Patamon. We'll take care of you."

"Um... Shinji, if we don't hurry, you'll be late for school."

Shinji tensed, and started running right for the school, Wormmon and Lunamon right behind him.

"Wormmon, tell Lunamon what she needs to do while I'm at school. I definitely won't have time."

21212121

Takato watched the door, waiting for Shinji, until his adopted brother blew in at the last second. He tried to ignore Jeri Katou, who was definitely the weird one of the group.

"What kept you?"

"I met up with Rika, and we had a bit of an argument. No biggie. Of course, then something came up that required Armor, but it wasn't a big deal." In school, the Matsukis tried to avoid all mentioning of Digimon. When impossible, they just left out the names. It had worked so far, after all.

"What happened that you needed Armor?"

"I'll tell you after school." This was code for really important stuff.

During class, Takato had a tendency to doodle. Eventually, he zoned out, and when he blinked, thirty minutes had passed and there was a sketch of a rudimentary saurian Digimon with odd markings. For some reason, there was no name, and he decided to put it in himself.

Guilmon. Yes, that sounded right. Guilmon.

Suddenly, he remembered the teacher, but she was still talking. Odd. Normally, if he wasn't paying attention, she'd snap right at him.

Oh. Shinji was showing off again. Geniuses. At times like this he almost wished a rogue Digimon would appear, just to make things a bit less boring.

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"Hey, Takato."

"What?" He turned to see Jeri handing him some goggles.

"You said you liked Digimon, right? Rufus thinks that with these you can be your own Tai Kamiya or Davis Motomiya."

Takato nodded and took the goggles. He could have done without being reminded of those that most of the group had referred to as the 'Digi-Idiots'. Well, they were called that behind their backs, anyway. At least, they used to.

Shaking off the memories of his old life, he placed the goggles around his neck and chased after Shinji, who had gone on without him. And to think, that with the new life that they had built up, he was the older brother.

Either way, he did need to go to the park for his cards. He had no clue why he played the game, but it was fun enough.

Now, if he could just stop his friends from making fun of his deck choice and calling him Angel Boy.

21212112

"Hey, T.K., how was school?"

Takato felt a familiar weight on his head when Patamon landed.

"It was fine, Patamon. Ken was almost late. Apparently, something required Bucchiemon."

"Well, so long as it didn't need Stingmon, we still have no real reason to pitch in."

Takato climbed into the area he used to play with his friends, and noticed that Patamon had put the cards back in the box.

"Where's my...?"

Patamon carried over a differently styled red Digivice. "It turned into this. I think it was the card. It's the only thing that could have done this, and it disappeared after you left."

"But why would I need a second Digivice? I already have a D-3." He took it, anyway.

2121212121

"Takato, if you brought home any more junk..."

"It's just goggles. You know, like the Digidestined." They had avoided the show's second season, as they might be recognized, especially given what their 'toys' were.

Upon arriving in the room he shared with Shinji, he put the second Digivice down along with his folder. Shinji and Wormmon were nowhere in sight.

"So, Patamon, how about ice cream?"

When they turned to leave, Takato's folder opened and all of his files went through the second Digivice's card slot. From bread recipes to the Guilmon drawing, it all went through. On the screen appeared a Digi-Egg.

"Well, Patamon, it seems we'll have a new friend soon."

21211221

The reason Shinji wasn't yet home was, quite simply, Lunamon. Or rather, keeping Lunamon hidden.

One Digimon toy was alright, as Wormmon had amassed quite the number of fans, but Lunamon, besides definitely being feminine, was rather large, and therefore, harder to carry. True, being a genius, he could probably figure something out, but he needed to get Lunamon home and under Takato and Patamon's protection. After all, Takato and Patamon were both the most experienced, and most powerful of those he knew. After all, he only started running into Rika during the past six months.

"Alright, Lunamon. Now, the safest way back to the bakery where we live is through the park. We've been using the park for years now when it isn't safe to degenerate."

"So, no one ever comes here?"

"More of, this place seems to have it's own weirdness censor or something. No one ever noticed when a Fugamon Bio-Emerged here and Bucchiemon and Angemon took care of it."

"Angemon?"

"My adopted brother's partner, normally is a Patamon. Those two are highly experienced, and have even gone to the Mega Level before. Sure, that was years ago, but a general philosophy is that if Patamon needs to go Mega, it just isn't worth it. Well, until the world's at stake, anyway."

"How much experience do they have?"

"Six years, about. At least. Depending on how you look at it, it could have been seven."

"And you've had how much?"

"Two to three years less than them."

Lunamon was quiet the rest of the way back.

When Shinji arrived at the bakery, the first thing he saw was Takato coming out the door.

"Shinji, we have a problem. I may have accidentally created a Digi-Egg."

21122121

Dai: So, since T.K. is Takato, changes have been made. For example, mainly using cards fit to work for Holy Digimon. Ken/Shinji's presence changes things as well.


	2. Rika's Mistake

Dai: So, T.K./Takato has created Guilmon's Digi-Egg, giving him a second partner.

Verity: Cue similar things happening to all from the Adventure World.

Dai: Not all of them! Ryo still has only Monodramon.

BlackGatomon: They don't own anything.

Dai: Hey, Tsukaimon! Help us settle an argument here!

12122121

"What do you mean, you created a Digi-Egg?"

"I mean that a second Digivice appeared, it sucked all my papers through it, and now there's a Digi-Egg on the screen." Takato noticed Lunamon behind Shinji's back. "Who's this?"

"H-h-hi. My n-n-name's Lunamon."

"Rika apparently has a Renamon, and has a mentality that I used to deploy."

"Which is?"

"Digimon as fighting machines. And while I stopped just short of killing them for data, those two have no such moral restrictions. Rika apparently still thinks of it as a game."

Takato was shocked for a second. He then shrugged it off since it was Rika, and when he met her with Shinji, she definitely wasn't the nicest of people.

"You know, it seems that it was accurate that people call her the Digimon Queen."

"Ha ha, very funny." He had noticed the comparison, apparently.

"Sorry, Shinji. That was a low blow. Anyway, it's nice to meet you Lunamon. I'm Takato."

1212121212

That night, when the humans had fallen asleep, Lunamon was staring out the window, unnoticed except for by Patamon.

"What's wrong, Lunamon?"

"Shinji and Wormmon saved me, and I have nothing to offer them except my data, which, Wormmon being a Virus, he could have taken any time. Why am I even still alive?"

"You didn't really have a childhood, did you?"

"You're a Digimon, you should know we never really have childhoods."

"I did. So did Wormmon."

"But how? In the Digital World, you fight to survive."

"That isn't where we grew up, though. Takato and Shinji hatched us from Digi-Eggs, and basically became our older brothers in a sort. At least, I think of Takato as an older brother. Mostly due to how he acts."

"Oh?"

"When I was younger, we were part of a large group of kids and Digimon, with me being four years younger than the rest of the Digimon. Everyone else could Digivolve, but not me. During this time, someone who looked out for Takato like a brother would basically jump in to protect him at every opportunity. After an... incident, Takato did the same for me. In fact, he did more, because while I could fight, he kept me from ever doing so, telling me that we should let the others handle it. Looking back, I'm a lot more powerful than the others were. Maybe if we had fought, more of our friends would have lived. But that's how he shows he cares. Shinji and Wormmon can be the same way at times."

"But, why? Why do they care?"

"Because we're partners. It's meant to be." That was all Patamon said before returning to sleep.

Lunamon looked back out the window. "If it's meant to be, than I can't ever have a Tamer. Not with how I see my destiny."

21212121

Takato gasped awake. He had hoped that those nightmares would end. Nope. Seven years, and he just couldn't shake off that experience. Still, it wasn't that big of a deal. He just had to make sure that Patamon was still right beside him, and everything would be alright.

Looking at his desk, the Digivice had a cracked eggshell and a compass pointing to the middle of town.

Takato shook Patamon awake. As it was, he needed a ride. And Pegasusmon was the one he trusted most in the world. In any world.

21211221

When Takato and Pegasusmon finally found Guilmon, the young Rookie was confused and destroying things. At least it was a part of town where no one was.

"Guilmon, stop." The Digimon turned to Takato.

"Gu-il-mon?"

"Yes. That's your name. Guilmon. I'm Takato."

"Ta-kat-o-mon?"

"Pegasusmon, have I ever told you how glad I am you remembered your previous lifetime? I can't believe I have to deal with this... No, Guilmon, it's just Takato."

"Takatomon!"

"Takato."

"Takatomon."

"Ta-kat-o."

"Takato-MON."

"I give up." Shaking his head, Takato grabbed Guilmon, and, due to the infantile dragon's size, began the long walk through the park.

"Oh, my parents are going to kill me."

212121

When Takato arrived back at the bakery, he threw a cardboard box over Guilmon and hoped everyone else was asleep.

"Okay, just one set of stairs, lights are on in the kitchen... well."

"Takato, what's in the box?"

"Oh, Kenta lent me some stuff."

"Like what?"

"Explanation in the morning." Takato yawned and wandered off to bed, carefully helping Guilmon up the steps. His parents had never questioned how Patamon could perfectly stay on his head, maybe he could think up an explanation for his new giant digital dinosaur.

Okay, maybe not, but a boy could dream.

21212

After finally getting Guilmon in the room, and another failed attempt to stop Guilmon from referring to humans as Digimon, mainly calling Shinji Shinjimon, Takato finally managed to get some sleep.

"Well, today's been crazy... Makes me wonder what's gonna happen tomorrow."

21212121

The next morning, Takato and Shinji had to deal with Guilmon and Lunamon in the best way possible.

"Okay, our parents won't allow us to have pets, it's hard enough to keep Patamon and Wormmon under the radar... you're going to have to stay in the alley until we can work something better out."

At this, they went through the trouble of safely getting them down the roof. It wasn't that easy. Guilmon slipped up, knocked into Lunamon, and they took a tumble into the alley.

"You know, just, stay there, alright? Here's some food."

12121212

For a few blissful hours, all had gone well for Lunamon. Then Guilmon wandered off under a cardboard box.

"Guilmon! They told us to stay here!"

"Takatomon told Guilmon to stay in the box."

"...Yesterday."

211222112

Takato was happily sitting in class when the alarm bell rang. He went out with the rest of the class and saw an upturned cardboard box.

"Shinji, do you think...?"

"Definitely Guilmon and Lunamon."

In the crowd, a boy looked at his Terriermon. "Were those Digimon names?"

"I think so, but Guilmon's not a name I've ever heard. Let's check it out!"

"Terriermon, get back here!"

212112

Rika smiled. The Lunamon from yesterday, and a dino Digimon she'd never seen before. So worth missing school. The effort gone to convince her grandmother that she was in fact sick was a hassle. It was even harder to track them down, as there were always Digimon signals in this part of town. She'd always assumed other Tamers handled these areas. Figured she'd be right- and that the other Tamer would be more powerful than her.

She turned to Renamon.

"Think you can handle them?"

"The Lunamon, definitely, but I have no clue what the other one is."

Rika pointed her Digivice at the dinosaur. "No data? What do you mean, no data?"

"Are you trying to hurt Guilmon and Lunamon?"

"Who's there?"

"I could ask you the same question. After all, I was here first."

Following the voice, Rika looked up to see a Patamon in a tree.

"A Patamon. So much data, so little time."

"You know, if you do that, my partner's gonna kill you."

"Oh? And who would that partner be?"

"Me."

21121212

Dai: Oh, Rika, you are in so much trouble. You messed with Patamon, on his turf, and T.K. just so happened to be there at the time. Renamon can't Digivolve, so... Prepare to get trounced.


	3. Tamers, Friend and Foe

Dai: And this is why you don't mess with Patamon. And you see Takato's morals. As reference, this starts somewhere in the middle of the last chapter.

Verity: We don't own anything.

21122112

Takato and Shinji were running. From the sound of things, Guilmon and Lunamon could still be in the area. Soon enough, when passing by where they made the cafeteria food...

"The grapes, the celery, the burgers! They're all gone!"

The boys exchanged glances. "Well, now we know eating it won't poison us..."

"Are you sure? Guilmon and Lunamon are Rookies. Low Level Digimon don't get food poisoning. Tokomon ate Tai's mother's cooking with no ill effects once."

"Good point. Either way, they could be anywhere. We need to find them."

"Okay, if I were a young Rookie, where would I hide?"

"Do you mean Rookie Digimon?" They weren't half as surprised to see the Terriermon there that they should have been.

"Yeah, I told them to stay put, but they just didn't listen."

Terriermon laughed. "You can't be very good Tamers if you can't even control a Rookie or two!"

"Try four."

"What?"

"We have three Digimon between the two of us, and one guest."

"Terriermon! Are you pestering the normal people again?"

"Henry, these aren't normal people! They're Tamers, and at least one of them has two partners! That cannot be normal."

Takato shrugged. "I met someone once who could be counted as having three. Now, if you excuse us, we need to track down one of them. Young Digimon. They just don't listen..."

2112211212

They had no clue where to find them. That much was obvious, until Wormmon ran up to them.

"Oh, Wormmon. I assume you know where Guilmon and Lunamon are."

The little larvae Digimon nodded. "Patamon saw them headed towards the park and went ahead. He sent me to get you, said it might be trouble."

Shinji nodded. "Good idea. Patamon's stronger than you, I admit it, and if he thinks it's dangerous, I trust his judgment."

Still, this was troubling. They quickened their pace, helped by the fact that they now had a location to work off of.

Just in time. Lunamon and Guilmon were sitting under a slide, where Shinji decided to be the one to deal with that. Takato was more interested in finding Patamon. He saw him talking to Rika, who had just threatened him. Catching his gaze, the little Digimon grinned ever so slightly, so that only he could see.

"You know, if you do that, my partner's gonna kill you."

"Oh? And who would that partner be?" This was the perfect opportunity. Step in, maybe frighten her a little, and if she insisted, a battle. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Me."

She turned around, trying to maintain her dignity, it looked like. "Angel Boy, of course."

Takato sighed. "Of course that's how you'd first recognize me. Not as Shinji's brother Takato, but as one of the best local players for the Digimon Card game. You know, you remind me a lot of my brother. Always alone, not all that many friends to speak of... you do have friends, right?" The look on her face told him everything. "Guess not."

Rika stiffened. She only said one word. "Renamon." The bipedal fox flashed into existence beside her immediately, arms crossed.

"Yes, Rika?"

"Kill all of the other Digimon in the park, take whatever data you wish."

"What about him?"

"I'll handle Angel Boy."

Takato shook his head. "You know, I was willing to talk this out, but now... No one, and I mean _no one_, touches Patamon."

Had Rika looked closer, she might have realized that he was already in a battle position, having learned how to fight from watching Matt and Tai's constant arguments, and refined it with Cody and Ken.

"Why do you care? He's just data. He can't think, or feel. He likely doesn't have the ability to care about you." That was the final straw. Not caring about the possible repercussions, he tackled Rika.

1212212112

Shinji could tell Henry was there. It was kind of difficult not to notice Terriermon. In fact, he was rather surprised he hadn't noticed him before.

"You know, it's rude to spy on others' conversations."

"We weren't spying, just... umm..."

"Don't worry. I don't hurt Digimon. Not those that aren't hostile, anyway."

"Right. So, where's your brother?"

"He went to find his older partner."

Terriermon blinked. "I hear fighting."

Guilmon sniffed the air. "Patamon, Takatomon, a second human, and some Digimon Guilmon doesn't know..."

Shinji paled. "That could be Rika!"

"I get a bad feeling about this."

21122112

When they arrived, they saw something highly unusual. Takato was fighting Rika, and winning, while Patamon- not even Digivolved, just Patamon- fought Renamon. And, while that fight wasn't as one-sided, it was likely it would take a while.

Then Guilmon joined in.

Renamon was now clearly losing, what with being outnumbered, and the fact that, quite simply, Patamon was more experienced, and naturally leading Guilmon.

Takato looked up from where he was fighting Rika, to see Renamon knocked against a tree. Guilmon stood before her, fire brimming in his mouth, ready to be released upon the unfortunate fox. At least, it would have been.

"Guilmon, stand down."

The Virus made a confused sound, but did as he was told. Patamon had stopped before, but made no move to stop him.

"Angel Boy, why...?"

"I made a promise to myself, long ago. Wild Digimon, I'm fine with destroying. But partners are special. I will never allow myself to be responsible for the death of another's Digimon. It's a special kind of pain, one I would not willingly inflict upon anyone."

Rika laughed. "You must be soft, to say that."

"No. I say it because I know it's true. Patamon... at times he seems like a second part of myself. Guilmon, too, although I haven't known him for as long." The way he spoke told everyone that he knew what he was doing. Everyone but Rika.

"If a partner dies, it is because they are weak, their Tamer is, or both, and they don't deserve to live." Now, she had really crossed the line. Takato went back to hitting her, this time saying something each time his fists made contact.

"Nothing... doesn't deserve... to live... Digimon are.. living beings... Just because they die... it doesn't make the weak! Never... say that.. ever... again!" He would have gone more, but Shinji decided it was time to separate them. Rika got out quickly after that.

121211212

On the way back to the bakery, Guilmon and Lunamon staying behind (Okay, so they'd locked Guilmon in a shed.), Shinji turned to Takato. Suddenly, he noticed that the other boy's eyes were red and tear lines streaked down his face.

"T.K., are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ken. It's just... what Rika said."

"You didn't have to get so upset."

"Why didn't you? I mean, she basically said Patamon and Wormmon don't deserve to live. How could you not get upset?"

"I didn't really hear her clearly. Guilmon was growling pretty loudly. Did she actually say that?"

"Well, not in those exact words, but I couldn't help but feel like she was saying that."

"What did she say?"

"It... doesn't really matter."

"The fact you obviously were crying does."

"I wasn't crying." Shinji couldn't bring himself to push the issue.

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On her way home, Rika heard Renamon's voice in her head. One of the positives about Renamon was the mental link they shared.

_'Are you alright?'_

_'You got off worse than I did. What happened back there?'_

_'I underestimated them. It won't happen again. However, there is an issue in that we don't often face multiple opponents, so we may want to come better prepared next time.'_

_'It won't make any difference if I can't pay attention.'_ She couldn't believe how badly they had lost. Angel Boy fighting back was something she hadn't seen coming. It had prevented her from helping Renamon, and she'd likely have bruises for a while. However, she had a few ideas.

They'd get stronger. And then, Angel Boy would pay.

212112211212

Daichi: Apparently, Rika has not yet learned her lesson. You do not challenge others stronger than you. You do not insult them. And you do not say something that they take really personally.

Verity: How many times did you have to rewrite this?

Daichi: I lost count at twelve. Maybe I should rethink only working on one chapter for a fandom at a time...


	4. Gargomon Gone Wild

Daichi: Yeah... my life may have fallen apart, but I still have this!

Verity: You are literally attempting to puzzle together fragments of destroyed computer data.

Vee-Vee: If she owned this stuff, she'd actually have backups.

21212121

Takato gasped awake. Again... that same nightmare again. Reaching to where Patamon was beside him, he sighed before shaking his head.

"That was seven years ago. This is now." He kept repeating it under his breath. He didn't know how long he was awake for. He just sat there, reaching for breath. For a moment, he wondered if Shinji had similar nightmares. It didn't matter. What mattered was that it was just a dream. "It's not real, and it never will be real again." Never. He wouldn't let it.

He collapsed back onto his bed. He had plans for the next day, mainly figuring out what to do with Guilmon and Lunamon.

2112121221

The next morning, the first thing Takato and Shinji did was head to the park. Lunamon was waiting for them. "You- you came back."

Shinji nodded. "Of course, you guys are our friends."

The little rabbit shivered, before backing away. "Something's wrong. I don't know what, but... we need to go." What followed was intense acrobatics as she managed to unlock the shed. Somehow. Guilmon wandered out.

"Lunamon, Takatomon, Patamon, Shinjimon, Wormmon. What Guilmon do?"

"Nothing. Come on, let's move." And they took their next step to where destiny would lead them.

12212121

Rika faced down the boy with the Terriermon. Apparently, they had been going to see Shinji and Angel Boy about something. It didn't matter. They'd never get there.

"Renamon, walk all over them."

The little creature underneath a car looked out. That bunny was in trouble. He had to help the bunny.

"Terriermon Digivolve to Gargomon!"

Shots were fired.

12211212

Lunamon ran ahead of the rest, her ears twitching ever so slightly. Shinji worried for the little white rabbit, and he didn't know why. For whatever reason, after saving the Rookie, he'd felt... attached. The worst part was that he and Takato were actually looking into ways to go back. This meant they'd have to leave the people here behind. It was bad enough that Takato seemed intent on making Guilmon as much of a partner to himself as Patamon, they didn't need more potential heartbreak.

"Shinji, hurry up!" Takato called back. He looked up again, telling himself that it wouldn't matter, and kept running.

Somehow, he failed to be convinced.

12121212

Rika ducked behind a car, just as the spray of bullets hit the ground where she'd stood. The Gargomon kept running about, shooting random things.

_'Rika, what should I do?'_

_'Stay out of firing range.'_ At least, she thought, this couldn't get any worse.

And then Shinji and Angel Boy showed up.

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Takato was in hell. That was all he could really think of. This wasn't the first time he'd seen a Gargomon, but... "This is just like SkullGreymon." Except, you know, with bullets instead of missiles.

"Takato, he's heading this way! What will we do?" His decision was instantaneous. This was Henry's partner. He wouldn't hurt him.

"We can't fight. Two of us are Virus', Patamon is overpowered, and... can Lunamon even do anything?"

"I-I have my Lop-ear Ripple a-and Tear Shot."

"Do either of them have a chance of reaching the target?" Lunamon took a look at just how many bullets were filling the air, and shook her head. "I didn't think so."

"Don't be so harsh on her, Takato."

"I don't want to be harsh, Shinji, but let's be real, for a second. I can't do anything to risk Gargomon's life, but I also can't send in someone who won't even make contact with her opponent. You said it herself, she has no will for combat."

"So are we just going to let Gargomon destroy us, Rika, and Renamon?"

"I said we wouldn't fight. I said nothing against trapping him in a net." Wormmon immediately scrambled off to follow orders. The humans, Patamon, Guilmon, and Lunamon ran behind the same car as Rika and Renamon. The white creature beneath it peeked out, before ducking back in again. Lunamon was the only one who noticed, and she had just one thing to say.

"...Calumon?"

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The little white creature backed away from where the second bunny crawled under. "Calumon, what are you doing here? C-Coronamon was supposed to watch you, wasn't he?"

Calumon's ears retracted. "Coronamon disappeared, so I went looking for him, and I found you! Come on, Lunamon, let's play!"

"Calumon, I don't have time to be your babysitter. There's a Gargomon outside unable to control the power he got from... his... Digivolution. Calumon!"

"I-I didn't mean to... I only wanted to help." Lunamon sighed.

"Look, it's good that you thought of others first... but if it weren't for Wormmon, we would be in big trouble right now." She pointed out to where the insect was preparing to fire.

"I'm sorry..."

"Sticky Net!"

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As Gargomon struggled to get out of the net, Shinji kept trying to keep Takato from killing Rika. "Takato, she isn't worth it, her Renamon is too tired to fight properly, she didn't even say anything too harsh this time. We have more to worry about right now. Amongst other things, I think someone heard us and called the cops. Do you want to get arrested for assault?" Upon hearing the logic behind this, Takato took a deep breath and backed away.

"You're right. Come on, let's get out of here. We can talk to Henry later." Leaving, Lunamon came out from wherever she was hiding.

"Lunamon, where have you been?"

"Speaking with someone I found. Unfortunately, he seems to have run off." The sigh told them that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

"Come on. Let's head home." For varying values of home, anyway.

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Daichi: So, yes, Calumon and Lunamon know each other. In fact, she knows him quite well. Her past will play an important part once we eventually get to the Digital World.


	5. Lekismon Arises

Daichi: The characters from 02 are here for a very specific reason, which you are about to find out.

Verity: We don't really own this.

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It was rather dark. Admittedly, not the best first observation, but still rather glaringly obvious. He supposed that that was a bad thing.

The voice, however, was even worse.

"Hello, Takato," The voice was male, sounded bout his age, and there was an underscore of some other emotion. He recognized it as hatred. "Or should I say, Takeru?" He hadn't heard that name referring to him in a long time. Everyone either just used his assumed name or shortened it.

"Who are you?" He was careful to keep the dread he felt out of his voice. He wasn't sure if it would do any good, but it was good practice for dealing with things he didn't want to.

"What does it matter? After all..." The darkness around T.K. shivered and moved, revealing a boy who looked almost identical to him, minus the brown hair and eyes. "...I don't exist."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! If I existed, you wouldn't be here! I would be living my life, in my house, with my parents, and my partner! Instead, I have to sit here and watch as you and Ichijouji take away everything I was meant to have!" Suddenly, he understood.

"Takato? Takato Matsuki?" Takato's eyes narrowed.

"Guilmon was supposed to be my partner! Mine! You already have a Digimon of your own! So tell me, what are you doing here!?"

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When the vandalism of the soccer field was discovered, Shinji was less than thrilled, to say the least. Takato watched dispassionately from the sidelines as the soccer team tried to organize everything again. Nearby, Patamon and Wormmon were eating food that may have been stolen from the cafeteria. It was a good thing they couldn't get food poisoning.

"How could this have happened with nobody noticing?" Shinji asked. Henry, who had just arrived at that moment, shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I mean, schools have to have better security than this, right?" Takato remembered all of the times he had snuck into school for some reason or another.

They all decided not to worry about it unless it happened again, and went about their day.

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That night, Lunamon slipped out of the park. Normally, she would have listened to the humans and stayed put, but this was something she had to do. Calumon was still young, and someone needed to take responsibility and look after him.

He wouldn't be that hard to find, anyway. Still, there were things she needed to ask him. And she was worried about her opposite. Her and Coronamon had been polar opposites, yet they were the same in many ways.

She spotted a flash of white up ahead. "Calumon!"

"Oh, Lunamon! I found someplace to play! Come on!" The little Digimon flew off, leaving Lunamon to chase after him.

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When Calumon revealed the place he had found, Lunamon was less than impressed.

"Calumon, this is a school, not a playpen."

"Then why is there chalk?"

"Calumon..." She had no idea what she was going to do with him.

"Come on, Lunamon! Let's play!" Calumon was oblivious to the dangers of meddling in human affairs, and Lunamon realized that she'd have to be the one to reprimand him.

She didn't get a chance, as a Digital Field began to form.

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As a whole, Vilemon had never been particularly friendly or helpful Digimon. This group was no exception to that. The leader stepped out into the real world, and his eyes locked on Lunamon and Calumon. Lunamon was prepared for a fight, although she realized that there was little hope for a Data Rookie to survive against so many Virus Champions.

"Heavy Beam!" She didn't know what she was expecting, but the timely arrival of Shinji and Bucchiemon was not it.

"Lunamon, what are you doing here?" She turned to Calumon.

"Explain. Now."

"We were going to play with chalk!"

"By which he means I was trying to talk him out of doing something stupid. Again." Calumon's ears shrunk.

"Lunamon, be nice!" Before she could say anything, a Vilemon cried out as Bucchiemon deleted him. But where one fell, two more took it's place. They were outnumbered, but they couldn't run. It would be too dangerous to leave them unchecked.

Still, as strong as he was, Bucchiemon couldn't hold off so many of them on his own. It just wasn't possible. She couldn't help. She wasn't powerful enough, and Calumon had proven several times that he had no clue what he was doing. Shinji turned to her.

"Lunamon, take your friend and run!" But she wouldn't. It wasn't like her to stand up and fight, but in her short time in the human world, her life had become so much better than it had been before. It was hardly perfect, but it was largely safe, and she had friends who wouldn't try to talk her into jumping off of a cliff.

She didn't know why she was so desperate to protect this world, but she understood that she couldn't let anyone be hurt if she could help it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar flash. Closing her eyes, she made a desperate wish.

"I wish to be able to help fight!" Her wish was heard. Another Digivice in the style of Takato's, but black, appeared, falling into Shinji's hand.

Even back when Digivolving was common, those with Tamers Digivolved faster. One theory was that the Digivice drew Digivolution power to itself, and from there, to the Digimon.

"Lunamon Digivolve to Lekismon!"

Maybe that theory had some truth to it after all.

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Was Data weak to Virus? Yes. Did Lekismon care? Not particularly. It helped to be able to keep them from putting u a fight.

"Moon Night Bomb!" All of the Vilemon fell asleep. All of them. This made killing them... surprisingly easy. She would have felt bad had they not tried to kill her first.

When she and Shinji parted ways that night, Calumon was still beside her. She was now faced with a difficult choice. Keep Calumon around, and delay her return to Rookie form to keep him out of trouble, or allow him to leave and cut off what little he had provided, letting a really immature Digimon loose in Shinjuku yet again.

... She was going to regret this.

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"Tell me, what are you doing here, when it should have been me?" He didn't know. He didn't know why he existed in that world and Takato did not. But he did know that he did exist. And wasn't that enough?

T.K. shook his head. "I'll tell you when I figure it out."

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Daichi: Canon!Takato will be playing a part in this. Let's just say... he's not thrilled with the whole 'being replaced' thing. Some people you should not make mad. This is one of them.


	6. Appearance of Kyubimon

Daichi: This story will break as many Digimon traditions as possible. It's going to start with keeping the gogglehead out of things whenever possible.

Verity: We don't own anything.

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"What makes you think you have a right to be here?" Takato asked.

T.K.'s fists clenched, and it felt like they were burning, even though he knew that this was a dream, and that he shouldn't have been able to feel pain. "What makes you think you do?"

"Look, you only ever had a partner because you could make him Digivolve. And you can't even do that! You're always the last to reach a new level, and no matter how powerful you are, the fact remains that that isn't always enough!"

"Do you think I don't know that?" He looked the other boy in the eyes, trying to ignore how that statement caused him more pain than anything physical that had ever been done to him. "If you know Patamon always Digivolves last, then you also know what happened the first time. I... You don't have to worry about anything like that happening to Guilmon."

This was his dream. It was okay to cry.

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Rika packed away her cards with careful precision. She wasn't going to let a little thing like a black eye, a sprained ankle, and utter humiliation stop her from getting stronger.

_'You know, if you had left well enough alone the first time, you might not have sprained your ankle. This is not a good idea.'_

_'Why are you hesitating, Renamon?'_

_'Because this can not be good for you.'_ What did she know? The first time had been bad enough, she was covered in bruises from that. The incident with Gargomon had cost her speed, but she was fine. She had to get stronger than Angel Boy. That was all that mattered.

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The little white Digimon was just around that corner. She had seen him disappear there, but running was rather painful.

_'I'm not sure whether to applaud your determination or condemn your stubbornness.'_ She tried to block out the link, but Renamon was quite persistent.

_'Look, do you ever want to beat Angel Boy, or not?'_

_'I'm just saying that your physical state right now is not- Rika. We really need to go. Now.'_

_'What? What is it?'_ The Digital Field was already forming around them. The Digimon that emerged was not of a kind she'd ever seen before, so she got out her Digivice.

"Dokugumon. It's just a Champion. A few Modify Cards, and we'll be done here." Obviously, the Dokugumon disagreed. It lunged at them, too quickly. Rika hit a wall, more pain shooting up her bad leg, and she realized that even if they won this fight, making it back home was iffy.

She'd messed up, and this wasn't an injury she could work with or a loss of dignity. This slip up risked her death.

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Calumon knew, of course, that this girl was violent towards Digimon. Still, she didn't deserve to die for being overconfident. He also knew that if Lunamon found out about this, she wouldn't be happy. Of course, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"Renamon Digivolve to Kyubimon!"

He made a dash for it straight after. No need to stick around when he knew that she could do the job.

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She had awaited her possible demise, realized just how in over her head she was. In her attempt to get stronger than Angel Boy and his two Digimon, she'd not just risked her partner, but herself, in biting off way more than she could chew.

She wasn't sure why Renamon had Digivolved now, of all times, but given that the alternative was her death, she certainly wasn't complaining.

Kyubimon stood between the Digimon Queen and the large spider, tails raised. Some part of Rika felt that this validated her methods and earlier stubbornness, but it was drowned out by the rest of her being in considerable pain.

"Fox Tail Inferno!" The flames struck Dokugumon head on, but the spider shook it off and continued approaching. Kyubimon backed up, more small fires flaring into existence around her body.

"Dragon Wheel!" The force of the blow knocked Dokugumon down, much more noticeably injured. "Dragon Wheel!" This one finished it.

The data went ignored. There was something much more important.

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Rika clung to her partner's back as the fox walked back towards the house.

_'I told you that it was a bad idea,'_ her partner chided.

_'I know.'_ For a moment, she cursed her weakness that had caused her to seek out this situation. "The Champion form is a good look on you," she mused. "Maybe..."_ 'Maybe we can win with this power.'_

_'I'm not sure I can hold this form for too much longer,'_ Kyubimon admitted. _'And we'd still be outnumbered, and I believe that at least the Patamon can Digivolve, as well.'_

_'Why do you say that?'_

_'Consider his Tamer's choice of cards. His deck is built around Angemon. A possible Champion form of Patamon. It wouldn't surprise me if the nickname you call him by came, however indirectly, from his partner.'_

Rika's mind flashed to her choice of cards. They were meant to support an agile animal Digimon, so that she could use them both on the playing field and in real life. If Angel Boy had chosen his cards on a similar principle... they had a long way to go, if she wanted enough power to rival him.

But, for now, getting home. And then, sleep.

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Daichi: Takato can't use Modify Cards on Patamon, but he did style his deck choice around him. This is going to make working with Guilmon... a different experience altogether. Similarly, Shinji's deck is based mostly around insect Digimon, which will have some ramifications when it comes to Lunamon.


End file.
